


Tell The Truth, Yakko Warner!

by Toothlessbored



Series: Behave, Children. [1]
Category: Animaniacs
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, But Also!, Explicit Language, Fluff and Angst, Good brother yakko, Not Beta Read, Oldest sibling problems right lmao, Or proofread so sorry guys, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Slight Canon Divergence, Trauma, basically Yakko has a lot of problems, but not a lot, takes place immediately after they break out of the tower
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:55:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28277214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toothlessbored/pseuds/Toothlessbored
Summary: For sixty years, all they’ve wanted is to be free. Well now they are! Why are things suddenly so hard? Especially for Yakko who’s feeling more responsible than ever for his sibling’s well-being. Putting aside his own needs aside, he devotes his time to making sure they’re safe and happy, but what happens when he pushes himself too far?
Relationships: Dot Warner & Wakko Warner & Yakko Warner
Series: Behave, Children. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2068140
Comments: 12
Kudos: 177





	Tell The Truth, Yakko Warner!

**Author's Note:**

> Ohh my god I’m so happy to be done. I actually started this before Wakko’s fic and used that one to be a little break from this monster. I’m really happy with how this came out though! I’m the oldest of five siblings so I felt really passionate about this fic and loved putting it all out on paper. I will write a Dot fic next! I couldn’t leave her out of this! It probably won’t be as long as this but neither was Wakko’s so I hope that’s okay lol, enjoy!

They were created with the expectation that there would one day be an adoring crowd cheering their names- maybe an angry mob cursing them out from below the water tower will be the closest they can get. For every colorful name that gets thrown at them, Yakko throws the biggest pie he can muster straight in the naysayer’s face. On the surface, he’s smiling like a maniac and clearly having the most fun he’s ever had in his life, exactly what he wants them to think. Besides, it is kind of fun anyway.

The reason there’s an angry mob is because there’s a trashed studio. Cars are crashed into walls, walls have graffiti all over them, graffiti is on some particularly stuck-up looking people, people also in walls, etc. Maybe in a different life, Yakko would feel bad about all the destruction he and his siblings caused, but it’s hard to feel bad about a ruined studio when they’re the exact studio that imprisoned you for sixty years. 

_ Some greeting,  _ he thought bitterly. To his side, Wakko and Dot were putting on quite the performance. Dot was egging people on to hit her in the  _ sweetest _ voice and whenever someone did, she masterfully avoided it or even threw it back. Wakko was more or less doing the same but every time something was thrown he’d eat it. It’s unconventional fun, Yakko vaguely remembers seeing kids play with balls in the street as a game, but the smiles on their faces urges the oldest to swallow his last care. 

“You wanna see a  _ real  _ jack-ass then?” He yelled out to his next heckler. As he pulled out some ungodly gag from behind his back, he thinks the destruction is worth it. 

…

The door opening was an accident. After a few years of trying to pry it open, the Warner siblings were forced to accept that it would never open again. It wasn’t all bad, in that time they also learned how to control their abilities and even bend them to their will. The tower had a lot to offer after a while! A living room, kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom (not for the sake of space, they had enough room to add a second floor if they really needed to, it was for their own sake). As nice as their home was, it was a no-brainer that it couldn’t replace the outside. 

Dot had a struggling Wakko pinned to the ground, the clear victor of their bi-weekly wrestling match. Yakko was supervising as he always does in case things get nasty (he knew from experience that his siblings had explosive blow ups. It was kind of impressive and maybe if he was a normal kid, he’d egg them on. But, he’s not, he’s essentially their parent and he knows he has to stop it before someone gets knocked out). 

Just as Dot was declaring victory, Wakko summoned a huge burst of energy and threw his little sister across the room with his feet. A collective gasp filled the room when the youngest sibling was sent flying into the door. Though Yakko’s instinct was to immediately scold Wakko, he held his tongue when he saw the toon’s shoulders tense, it was clearly not intentional. Dot on the other hand…

“Wakko! What the heck, dude!” She cried out from the floor. She was rubbing her head but other than she looked fine. 

“I’m sorry, Dot! I didn’t mean it!” The middle warner said in a panicky voice. True, Yakko was the authority figure to them but Dot’s wrath was what the boys actually feared. Nobody deserved to get that bundle of fury thrown their way. 

She stood up and used the steel door for leverage, “yeah, well next time be more care-“ 

_ Squeakkk _

Dot yanked her hand from the door like it burned her. The look she gave her siblings was unreadable, as were their own but they were focused on where the sound came from. 

“The… The door-“ Wakko choked out. Yakko couldn’t tell if it was fear or excitement in the toon’s voice, he didn’t even trust his own to ask. 

“I- no- that’s impossible!” Dot exclaimed, “we tried every trick in the book! How can it open!?” 

If he wasn’t so stunned, Yakko would give it some thought at how kids never leave anything to dramatic effect. They stood still, completely frozen, for a moment longer before the older sibling’s brain finally kicked in full-gear. 

“Grab a mallet!” He cried out, pulling one out from behind his back. He didn’t dare to say it out loud, but he didn’t know what was happening and he wouldn’t dare give those executives another moment before they started resealing the door. Quickly crossing the room, he started giving the door the hardest hits he could muster, Wakko and Dot quickly followed suit.

After what felt like forever and no time at all, the door gave in and snapped. It only opened ever so slightly but the sunlight filled in the space it could reach. For the second time that day, the Warner Siblings froze. Their eyes were glued to the sunlight that they’ve been deprived of for so, so long. Wakko was even brave enough to dip his gloved paw in it. 

Yakko took a deep breath, “ready?”

Hesitantly, the other two nodded their heads. 

_ Here goes nothing,  _ the oldest thought and forced his body to finally push the steel door away.

…

It was bright. Brighter than they’ve ever seen in their life but it didn’t take longer than a minute for their eyes to adjust. Later, Yakko will joke that “the ol’ studios didn’t change one bit without us!” But it’s not true. The studio buildings were as bland as they tend to be but-  _ the sky,  _ the clouds, the field beyond the studio with grass greener than Yakko had ever seen. It was warm, warmer than the heater he created could ever get them and the air was so fresh. 

One glance at his siblings and he knew they were having the same revelation. Their wide, innocent, cartoonish eyes sparkled with excitement that almost hid the hint of uncertainty Yakko knew was there. It was a beautiful picture, something he would love to immortalize, the mere sight of his siblings  _ happy _ . The smiles painted wide across their faces, the way Wakko’s tail was rapidly wagging back and forth, how Dot pulled on her skirt with anticipation.

Yakko made a silent vow in that moment to never, ever let his siblings experience the dark like that again. 

“It’s the Warner Siblings!” Someone cried out from below the tower. 

The three of them whipped their heads towards the person in question. A crowd quickly gathers around the tower to… watch them? Some people are calling the authorities, others are taking pictures with bulky cameras, most are just watching and probably praying they don’t do something reckless. Well, too late for that.

The mere mention of their name made anger bubble up in Yakko’s stomach. People knew about them? They knew that they were hidden away somewhere? Their existence was public knowledge and nobody, not even a low-level intern, came up to release them? Turning to look at them once more, Yakko noticed his siblings were feeling the same way, they were just hiding it masterfully. Dot had a devilish smirk that nobody could see through. Wakko was crossing his arms but refused to let his dorky exterior down. Subtle things only Yakko could know. 

“Well, guys?” He prompted them. They turned to look at him, the youngest with mischief in her eye and Wakko finally smiling. “Whatcha say we give this place a little ‘Warner Sibs’ flair?” 

It was wrong, Yakko knew that, but when his feet finally hit solid ground on the lot he despised so much, all he wanted to do was raise hell. 

…

Well, those three hours were fun until they were finally caught. It was a surprise at first, humans aren’t very skilled when it came to handling the kids (the water tower “incident” happened when they thought the executives were joking around. They went in willingly.) but what was a real shock was that they were caught by  _ toon  _ security guards. 

As they were being escorted away from the crime scene of their own creation (their words, not Yakko’s. It’s hardly a “crime scene” in his opinion, it’s not like anyone actually got hurt), the siblings fought tooth and nail to be freed. Dot was kicking with all her might while Wakko was biting any limb that got close to him. Yakko… Yakko was just struggling, he was never a physical guy like the other two were, it was really the best they could do. 

Eventually one of the guards- a toon man, a bit on the stereotypical side- being bit by Wakko cried out in frustration, “quit biting, kid! We’re going to the top!” 

The middle sibling let up and wailed- something he didn’t do often, especially not when he’s trying to be his zaniest- “No! I won’t go back to the tower! I won’t!” 

At the sound of their brother’s cries, Yakko and Dot stopped trying to release themselves and started fighting to be with him. It’s uncharacteristic for him to break like this but when it has happened, he’s needed comfort, physical comfort to be specific. Surprisingly, the guards let them go to Wakko, still restrained but they found their footing clumsily and stumbled to his side. 

“It’s going to be okay, baby bro,” Yakko rubbed the side of his face into Wakko’s fur, hoping that the feeling was comforting enough to bring him down. He desperately hoped his words would come true. 

“Kid,” the guard- Ralph his name tag read- “we’re meeting with the CEO.”

Yakko felt the tension instantly release from his body. Anything is better than being locked away again. Still, he couldn’t ignore the feeling of dread that they’d still find themselves back there eventually. 

“C’mon! He’s probably just dying to see our beautiful faces again!” Dot eventually piped up.

Oh, right, the CEO. 

…

Lots had changed around the studio in sixty years but the CEO’s office had not. It was painfully intimidating just to sit in, a room that’s a punishment all on its own and they all hated it- Yakko probably the most. He hated that the walls were a shade of stuck-up dark blue, he hated the pretentious leather chair behind the snotty oak desk that was littered with high-and-mighty trinkets they got from pompous successes. He hated it all but most of all, he hated the CEO. 

Or, he did, because the man sitting in that cocky chair was  _ not  _ the CEO he knew. 

“So,” the unfamiliar man started, “you’re the ones responsible for the destruction on my lot?” 

Yakko swallowed his nerves and stepped forward, “well, that all depends.”

“On what?”

“On if you  _ really  _ want to call that hunk of junk  _ your  _ lot! Have you seen it? I’ve seen liquor store parking lots nicer than that! You should take care of that, shortie!” 

Satisfaction filled the toon as the man’s face gradually got redder than Wakko’s hat. “Why you little-“ 

“That’s enough,” a new voice spoke up. Seemingly out of the shadows comes a woman dressed in probably the least comfortable suit ever made. She’s holding a clipboard in one arm and a jumble of papers in the other. Her brown bangs almost hide how irritated she looks… almost. Yakko guesses that she’s been in a bad mood long before they walked in this room. 

“I’m Tea Woodbury, this is Thaddeus Plotz. I understand you’re the Warner Brothers, yes?” 

The brothers snickered when Dot glared at the woman, “ _ and  _ the Warner Sister, thank you very much!” 

The woman blinked and shook her head, “can I get your names?”

“Sure!” Yakko said cheerily. He makes exaggerated steps forward that’re distracting enough for nobody to notice the subtle wink he sent to Wakko and Dot. “Yakko Warner, pleased to meet you!” 

“Oh, well-“ 

“Wakko Warner!” The middle sibling announced proudly, cutting her off entirely. “Double-ly pleased!” 

“Right-“ 

“ _ And _ ,” Dot bounced from the floor and onto Wakko’s head which she used as stairs to Yakko’s shoulders. A spotlight even appeared out of nowhere and everything. “I’m Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca, the third! But you can call me Dot.” 

“Um,” the woman let out nervously, “is that all?” The three of them nod their heads up and down in a downright nauseating way. “Okay… It’s nice to meet you three. I’m not sure if you know, but I’m a social worker. I’m just here to ensure you guys are safe.”

It took everything in Yakko not to scoff at that. Safe? If living in a water tower for sixty years without food or water or goddamn  _ light  _ was considered safe, then yeah, they were peachy. Swallowing down his bitterness at the statement, he cracked a wide smile that tended to make people nervous. Meanwhile, his siblings are pretending to give the office a look around, secretly slipping the most expensive stuff they could find in Wakko’s sweater. If Yakko knows his siblings, and he does, he knows they’re making their way to Plotz. Probably eyeing the pretty gold ring on his finger. 

What kind of a brother would he be if he didn’t help them get away with this?

He tucks his hands behind his back and starts up a conversation in a nonchalant voice.“So, where’s the old ringmaster? Couldn’t control the clowns around here? Can’t blame him with all the makeup they plaster on those poor actresses out there.” 

He didn’t expect them to laugh- most humans don’t laugh at his jokes unless they’re kids- but he was still unnerved by the look Tea was giving him. 

“The former CEO is currently in jail…” She said slowly, probably trying not to upset him but also not sure if it would do such a thing. 

The news is enough to have Yakko abruptly stop in his tracks- his siblings too, seeing as Plotz is currently yelling in shock at how much stuff they’ve stolen. They don’t get caught unless they want to. “He’s… What?” 

The social worker throws an uncomfortable look to the CEO but his face was cold as stone. It must be something Yakko isn’t in on but he opts to believe he’s just mad at his thieving siblings. She turns her gaze back to the kids- who have gathered together once again- and let out a deep sigh. 

“A lot has changed since you guys were gone,” Yakko cringes at her word choice. “About five years ago, there was a movement of sorts. New laws were put in place to protect toons as individuals and equals. I’m sure you remember harsh working conditions in the thirties, they were made illegal. The former CEO didn’t mention you three once, you guys weren’t even public knowledge until a handful of employees went through the Warner archives. When it was discovered that he was imprisoning you, he was immediately arrested and stepped down from his position but refused to tell anyone your whereabouts. That was two years ago, I believe.”

Yakko’s head was spinning with all the new knowledge being thrown at him. Ironically, he couldn’t find himself to be angry. He had been angry enough for a lifetime at this point and nobody could doubt he’s given the studio a piece of his mind. Now he’s just… sad. Sad that there were two years his siblings should’ve been able to see the outside. Sad that nobody bothered to check the super obvious water tower. Sad that the former CEO was such a monster that he was willing to take their existence to his grave. 

He opens his mouth to crack a joke that probably won’t land, but then he catches a glimpse at his sibling’s faces and he suddenly feels like it’s the wrong time. They were shocked like he was but they looked devastated, a look he couldn’t stand on their innocent faces. A part of him was hoping they wouldn’t connect the dots there, that they wouldn’t realize there’s two extra years on their sentences for no reason. He shuts his mouth. His new priority is getting them out of this room, probably back to the tower. 

“So what does that mean for us?” He picks up Dot who doesn’t even feel like she’s all there. As she relaxes into his touch, he pulls Wakko under his arm into a hug that he desperately hopes is fixing something. 

“Um,” Tea stutters, clearly taken aback by the warm gesture. But Yakko won’t meet her eyes so she continues. “Well, basically it means that you guys are going to continue living here on the lot. As me and Mr. Plotz discussed, in a year’s time you guys can decide if you want to re-enter the filming industry. Until then, the company will be focused on reintroducing you three back into society. I’ve personally picked out a psychiatrist that you will meet with weekly to track your progress. We also have a few new locations here for you to move in-“

“ _ No!”  _ The three of them cry out at once. Yakko’s ear twitched with discomfort at their sudden outburst. “Um, what we mean is that the tower is much more suited to our… needs.” He quickly fixed. 

She gave them another strange look but said nothing. She just wrote something quick down on her clipboard and faced them again. “Right, well that’s mostly it. I do have to warn you, though, this studio is your main line of protection. If your antics get out of hand in a… dangerous way, you three could be separated and sent away.”

Great, another threat. What else could they possibly need!? He gave her a tired nod, starting to get impatient. 

“Then… I believe that’s it. Someone will come to inspect the tower in a week or so. Here’s my card, call if there’s an emergency. Any questions?” 

“Can we go now?”

…

Dot insisted she could walk home by herself but Wakko was still tucked under his arm. Unsurprisingly, the lot was still in shambles from their previous activities. Earlier, the chaos would’ve been incredibly satisfying for Yakko to look at but after the news about their former boss… Well, now he just felt bad for torturing people for no reason. Kind of, it was still fun to give into his nature. 

Looking at his siblings, he can’t help but crack a smile at how the three of them stick out like sore thumbs and not just because they’re toons. A few years ago, Wakko managed to find a semi recent newspaper in his gag-bag and handed it off to Yakko who read about the recent development of color TV. They were drawn in black and white and only changed their looks once when Yakko passed down his baseball cap to Wakko. On an impulse, he managed to pull four markers out from behind his back- bright pink, bright red, bright blue and bright orange. Yakko remembered colors, of course he did, but he was never introduced to such a variety in his time outside the tower, those four colors were all he could produce. Dot insisted on going first, then Wakko and Yakko colored himself last. They were instantly in love with their new appearance, Yakko was more or less neutral about it, but now he’s giggling at how downright distracting they look. 

A sudden lightbulb appears above his head, peaking the younger Warner’s attention. “What’re you thinking, Yakky?” Wakko asks. 

Yakko looked above his head, not realizing he manifested anything. “Well, I was thinking-“ He plucks the bulb from the sky and tosses it, “-that a trip to the Ink & Paint department would be fun!”

Dot cocked a brow, “what for? We already broke in there! Kind of boring, not nearly as colorful as it sounds.” 

“The paint is  _ in _ the cans, Dot.”

“Still.” 

“Anyway, we haven’t changed our appearances in nearly ten years! I say a little makeover is long overdue!” 

Dot’s eyes shine and Wakko’s face is overwhelmed with joy. Originally, Dot was drawn to be the stereotypical fashion lover but that was almost beaten by Wakko many, many times. Not so much clothes but hair and makeup was his favorite, there were a lot of weird phases before he landed on this permanent look. Yakko can only imagine how excited he is to do something new. 

“Come on, before the sun sets!” And they bounced off. 

…

The inside of the Ink & Paint department was just how Dot described it. Boring. It didn’t occur to them how unused it might be but it seems a proper cartoon hasn’t been made in at least a year.  _ That explains all the live-action movie posters,  _ Yakko muses as they walk in. 

“Alright, sibs, let’s split up! Meet back here when we find what we want, sound good?” 

Wakko and Dot give him a thumbs up before taking off in separate directions. It occurred to Yakko that they might get lost but he doesn’t worry about it, they’re smart kids. He walks down the nearest aisle of basic paints, another thing he imagines he missed out on in sixty years. They’re small jars but living toons don’t need much more than a single drop of ink or paint to color themselves. It covers them like it would wet paper but also recognizes their outlines- Yakko didn’t understand either. 

He finds himself in the brown and orange section of the shelves. The bright orange of his pants may make him groan to look at but he definitely didn’t hate the color as a whole- plus he could never pull off blue and pink like the other two. His eyes land on a particular color, not hideously bright but also unique in its own way. 

“Smokey-topaz, huh?” He mumbled, pulling the jar off the shelf. Turning to the side, he quickly found a cup of paint brushes and picked the first one his fingers brushed. “Well, let’s see how this looks.” He collects a single drop of paint on the tip of the brush and gives his pants a quick swipe. The color bleeds throughout the “fabric” of his pants until it covers the entirety of them. 

“Hey! Not bad!” 

“What’s not bad?” Wakko’s voice pipes up from behind him. Yakko turns around to face him and doesn’t even try to hide the smile on his face. “Oh, neat! Way better than the orange from before!” 

“I think so too!” He looked Wakko up and down and frowned when he realized he still looked the same. “Did you find anything?”

The younger Warner pulled an item from behind his back- Yakko didn’t even realize he was hiding anything. “I did, but I think I need help applying it.”

“Oh! Sure thing, baby bro, what’re you thinking?” 

“Freckles? And not those animation-friendly dots either, like natural freckles humans have!” 

Yakko gave it a moment of thought then snapped his fingers, “got it! Just take a seat and let ol’ Yakky handle you!” 

Wakko snorted his laughter and did as he was asked. The jar of ink he had was a darker grey, Yakko imagines he was trying to make it fit in with his fur. He goes back to the jar of paint brushes and picks out one with fan-like bristles in hopes that it’ll do the trick. He plops on the floor in front of his brother and gets to work. 

“... Yakky?” Wakko whispers out as Yakko starts dipping the brush. 

“What’s up, Waks?” 

“Are… Are we safe now?” 

The question makes Yakko’s hand stutter, spilling a single drop on the plain white floor. He was secretly hoping they would be too blinded by the excitement of being free to be brought down but, like he said, they’re smart kids. 

“You mean… Now that  _ he _ is gone?” 

Wakko nods. 

The oldest sibling sighs, “I won’t lie to you, I don’t know. I’ll have to read up on those new laws that Ms. Woodbury was talking about but… But even if they won’t protect us, I will, okay?” 

“Do you promise?” 

Yakko’s eyes soften, “I double-ly promise.” 

They met in a hug. Yakko desperately hoped that his words were convincing because he didn’t have a single clue if he could own up to that. He’d die before he’d let anything happen to Wakko and Dot but how long could he keep up that fight? Would that be enough? What can he really do in the long run?

“Am I interrupting a sibling moment?” Dot’s voice suddenly cuts in. 

They pull away from each other and throw a smile her way, “it’s not a real sibling moment without our little cherry on top!” Yakko declares. 

“And don’t you forget it! Nice pants by the way.”

“Right back at ya!” He declared after taking in her appearance, “the polka dots suit you.”

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t get us sued by a certain rat, amirite?”

She takes a seat next to Wakko and they launch themselves into a friendly bicker. Yakko goes back to painting his brother’s face. He forces those thoughts to the back of his mind and directs his attention to his sibling’s conversation. How bad could things get?

…

By the time they got back to the tower, the sun was gone and the moon was lighting their path home. The three of them would be lying if they didn’t find various distractions to put off coming back. 

Their relationship with the water tower is a tricky one, something they themselves didn’t entirely understand. The idea of living anywhere else was scary and uncomfortable, as if they haven’t been through enough fear already. It all kind of comes down to the fact that the water tower wasn’t the scary part, it was the fact that they were locked away. But… that didn’t calm their nerves as they crawled back inside their home. 

Wakko fidgeted with the hem of his sweater and Dot picked at the loose threads in her gloves. Yakko tried his best not to react but the sweat dripping off the tips of his fur was a head giveaway as to how he was feeling. He still pushed on, deciding it was better for him to be brave for his siblings than fall into a bad mindset. 

“How…” Yakko spoke with uncertainty, “how about we sleep with the lights on tonight? And a cuddle pile? I’ll be in the middle, yeah?”

They gave him simple nods of their head that worried Yakko. Well, Dot worried him. Wakko wasn’t very vocal and tended to use nonverbal ways of communicating but Dot always spoke. She must be more shaken than he realized. 

Summoning all the strength he could muster in his skinny body, he picked Dot up and crouched down for Wakko to climb onto his back. He hasn’t done this in years but he might have to rock them to sleep- not that he minds it, it reminds him of when they were babies fresh off the page, they’re just not as light as they once were. 

After carefully swaying his body back and forth for what felt like forever, Wakko’s drool started dampening his fur and Dot’s (surprisingly loud) snores cut through the silence. With rusty ease, he laid Dot on one side of the bed and slid Wakko off his back on the other side. Carefully as possible, he crawled on the bed and laid himself in the empty space he purposefully left. It didn’t take longer than a minute for the younger Warners to sleepily lay themselves on his chest. The sight made Yakko smile in that lazy, sleepy way. He was tired, possibly even more tired than his siblings but they came first. They always came first.

Just as sleep was about to overcome the oldest Warner, a loud metal shutter rattled the room. Now, Yakko knew that shutter well, it was just a particularly strong gust of wind hitting the tower, happens every other night. But the noise is enough to overcome the tired feeling and he feels more wide awake than ever. He doesn’t even realize he subconsciously tightens his hold on his siblings until Dot makes an uncomfortable noise. 

_ How could I be so stupid!? _ He curses himself,  _ what if that’s what they’re waiting for? Waiting for us to let our guard down and lock the door again!? How would we be able to stop them? We wouldn’t know until tomorrow morning!  _ He wishes he could stop the downward spiral his mind was heading towards but he knew better than anyone that it was too late. The idea was planted and now it’s just growing. 

_ I have to protect them,  _ he finishes firmly. It’s a stupid idea but he refuses to acknowledge that now. Right now he has to focus on staying awake. If anyone is gonna try and lock them in, they’ll have to stop Yakko first, even if it was at the cost of his well-being. 

_ I have to. I have to protect them. I have to.  _

…

Their first time meeting their “p-sychiatrist” went as well as any incident with the Warner Siblings go. Yakko prides himself on being the first to make him tear his hair out and congratulates Dot for being the second. He’s really impressed with himself for actually managing to stay awake the whole visit but he owes that to the miracle elixir, coffee. He lies and tells his siblings that he’s just “being an adult now!” But adulthood wouldn’t be enough to make him drink the bitter concoction- anxiety is instead. 

As they walk home (maybe somewhere of interest, they’re not picky) he couldn’t help but feel like something was off. He was rattling off joke after joke but wasn’t met with the same rivaling sarcasm he was used to. Wakko looks fine but he’s not the one Yakko is thinking about. It’s Dot. 

On the outside, she looks… normal. She’s standing up straight, head held high and doesn’t let her face give anything away. But, at this point it’s well established that Yakko can see right through their facades. 

“Hey, Wak?” He nudges his brother with his elbow, “there’s a pretzel stand over by Studio 2B, would you mind picking up three?” He barely got to finish asking before Wakko was taking off, mumbling something like “three, yeah right.”

Normally, Dot would make some sarcastic quip about how that was a horrible idea but she doesn’t. If Yakko was only suspicious then, he’s definitely concerned now. He subtly leads them to the nearest bench which is accidentally, yet perfectly, placed in front of the pretzel cart. He takes a seat on the far left and she lifelessly plops herself down next to him. 

“So, you wanna tell me what’s wrong?” He prompts. 

“Huh?”

“You’re upset, I can tell by your droopy ears.” 

Flustered, she straightened her ears and went to fix the flower holding them together, “it’s nothing. Just a tiring day, that’s all.” 

“Oh please, that’s the oldest excuse in the book.” 

“Yeah? Well it’s the truth so deal with it!” 

Yakko sighed, he was afraid he’d push her to be harsh, it tends to happen often. She’s the only Warner whose bark is equally as bad as their bark and Yakko hates being on the receiving end of both, but here he is. 

“Dot, just talk to me.” 

She sighs and pulls her legs up to her chest, “I’m just… worried. Its been a whole week and nothing bad has happened- and that’s great! I’m so, so happy with this… but what if it’s not gonna last?” 

The oldest sibling felt his stomach lurch, “but what if it does?”

“We don’t know that!” She growled out, “what if they’re just waiting for us to slip up again!? One slip-up and we’ll be looking at another sixty years, or worse, eternity.” 

Anxiety held on Yakko’s throat tight, for once he can’t find the soothing words she needs and it’s tearing him apart inside. Not for the first time, he wished he had parents or a semi-parental figure at most. The authority figure he became early in his life has never been great by any human standard, but who could blame him? He likes to think he’s done a damn good job of raising them at the permanent age of 14 but moments like this knock his ego down quite a few notches. 

But he’d still do his best to help his sister. 

“Dot, listen,” he put his gloved hand on her shoulder, “there’s laws now. Real laws that I’ve read up on and they’re here to protect toons like me, you and Wakko from ever experiencing that mess again. Can you do something for me?”

“...hm?” 

“I need you to trust me. I need you to trust with all your might that if something is wrong, I’ll get you two the hell out of this lot and go terrorize Disney or something. What do you say to that?” 

She gave him a skeptical glance and cracked a sly smile, “I say you’re gonna get censored with that kind of language.” 

They burst into a fit of giggles at that. He pulls her into a gentle hug, one that she returns eagerly. “I trust you, Yakky.” 

Then they sat there. They sat and watched their brother eventually steal the pretzel cart he was only meant to be buying from. Now, as they give chase across the lot from the cart owner, Yakko feels the determination to make sure they feel fun like this again and again and again

…

But, just his luck, that pretzel incident gets him a very shouty phone call early in the morning. He’s just glad his siblings are asleep.

“If you  _ ever _ steal on this lot again, I will have you kicked the fuck out as soon as I possibly can!” Plotz screamed in the tired toon’s ear. 

“Watch your tone, this is a rated G fanfic Mr. Plotz.” 

“Don’t smart mouth me!” He shouted at a louder volume- if that was even possible. “If it wasn’t for the authorities getting involved so quickly, you’d be locked away again! I should’ve kicked you out solely for what you did to my buddy.”

Swallowing down the bile in his throat, Yakko forced a joking tone out of his voice. “Your buddy? I can barely stand knowing you, Plotz, can’t imagine knowing any of your friends.” 

“Sure you know him,” he sneered, “you’re the three jackasses that got him thrown in jail in the first place.” 

At that revelation, Yakko almost dropped the phone. Of course,  _ of course _ Plotz was friends with the old CEO. They’re both bitter old men who hate him and his siblings for no goddamn reason (well, maybe there’s a reason but Yakko doesn’t want to hear it), he should’ve guessed it before. Suddenly his over-the-top cruel-ness made sense to the toon, he hated them long before they broke out.

He let Plotz yell at him for a few minutes longer, too afraid of the wrath he’d face if he hung up, but he wasn’t listening. It was like listening to that same man who hated them so much long ago. He felt like throwing up. 

He doesn’t know when, but Plotz finally hung up and left him unable to form words. The lack of sleep and weight of his sibling’s safety felt a million times heavier than it normally did and it felt like he was suffocating. How could he keep them safe now? They don’t stand a chance, they’ll be staring at a locked steel door again sending unheard prayers asking that it’d open. 

“Yakko? Are you okay?” 

He blacks out. 

…

When he wakes up, his head is pounding as if it’s protesting his woken status. His body aches too, and so do his eyes even when they’re closed- in short he feels like pure garbage. That’s probably the side effect of not sleeping for days and suddenly fainting but whatever. His hand is being held by another, very shaky one and someone is frantically rambling. As his head clears, he realizes Wakko is the one holding him and Dot is hysterically yelling into the phone.

“He collapsed and you’re telling me to calm down!? We need an ambulance! Or just a doctor! We need help!” 

How long has he been out? He cracks an eye open to find the time but instead he finds Wakko’s teary eyes watching him with intensity. When he realizes his brother is awake, he tackles him into a hug- something Yakko would feel in his ribs later but he couldn’t be mad now, he can’t imagine how bad he scared them.

“You’re awake! Oh my god- Dot he’s awake!” 

Her phone call is wrapped up pretty fast after that. She leaves them with a vague threat like “get over here or else.” But Yakko wouldn’t expect anything less from her. 

“Yakko! You scared us half to death!” She joined the hug on the opposite side of Wakko, half off the couch he’s laying on but she clearly doesn’t mind. 

“I’m… I’m okay,” he eventually whispers. He presses a kiss to their foreheads, hoping that’s enough reassurance for them- but knowing his siblings, it’s not. “Can one of you guys get me w-water?” 

Dot is on it in an instant. That’s probably for the best, the hits from Wakko’s tail feels like it’s the only thing keeping him conscious at the moment. He must be pretty messed up. She’s back in a flash to give him the glass, but not without a threatening reminder to drink it slowly. He tries to but his mouth feels like a desert, there might even be a tumbleweed.  _ Or is that a hair-ball?  _ He wishes someone heard that. 

“Yakko, what happened to you!?” She exclaimed. 

“Yeah! You looked fine before bed! I woke up to Dot yelling your name!”

Oh god, if that doesn’t make him feel even worse.  _ Nice going, genius, you devote your whole life to protecting them but you probably scarred them for life.  _ Thinking, he realizes, hurts too. 

“I’m fine,” he grunts. It doesn’t even sound convincing to his own ears. 

“You are not!” Dot snaps, “you were unconscious for two hours, Yakko! I’ve been on the phone with emergency services for two hours!” 

Yakko blinked, “why did nobody come?” 

His sister recoiled, her eyes drifted to the side, “when I told them who we are… they wouldn’t send anyone.” 

Yakko felt like fainting again. The mere mention of them put people off? They refused to send someone  _ because _ they are who they are? He didn’t even realize he was starting to laugh until he saw the horrified look on his sibling’s faces… which made him laugh harder. 

“Yakko-” 

“It’s so fucked up!” Yakko howled and shot up from the couch. He couldn’t even feel bad for cursing in front of them, he wasn’t in his right mind now. “This whole situation is fucked! It was doomed from the minute we slammed that first mallet into the door! Those laws are a goddamn facade! We’re fucked! Nobody cares about us, only us! They’d rather see the three of us perish before actually giving a fuck! All these sleepless nights I’ve wasted! They’re not going to lock us in here again, they’re going to tear us from the inside out until we snap!” 

Oh, the room is getting dizzy. He collapses to his knees and starts to sob.  _ No really, I’m doing amazing. First I faint and now I’m yelling like a lunatic. Big brother of the year award goes to Yakko Warner!  _

He feels a pair of arms wrap around his neck. The soft sweater is a dead give away that it’s Wakko, but even if he didn’t have that Yakko would know since he’s crying too. In fact, he’s wailing. Terrified cries bounce off the metal walls of the tower and land straight in Yakko’s floppy ears. His “brother” instincts kick in, he sits up and pulls his sobbing brother onto his lap where he takes the opportunity to bury his face in his chest. Then he catches Dot’s eye and it’s almost scarier than how Wakko looks. Her whole face is wet with tears but she’s mad, mad and sad? Smad? Doesn’t matter. 

“Yakko Warner!” She snaps, “don’t you ever talk like that again! Don’t you ever scare us like that again!”

He sniffles, “Dot-“

“No! We’re all in this together, Yakko! They can’t snap us if we’ve got each other! We’re all scared, okay? But we’re not fucked! Even if they don’t want us, we’re here now! They’ll have to learn to care because we’re not giving up! We won’t snap!” 

After a moment of tense eye contact, she finally drops her angry snarl and drops her head. “Please, Yakko. You’re the only leader we have, not only that, you’re our brother. We need you as our sibling.” 

The oldest felt more tears well up in his eyes. “But who will protect you two? It has to be me!” 

“Who will protect you?” Wakko suddenly chimed up in a wet voice. 

Yakko was speechless. It certainly wasn’t going to be him, he’s not that important in his own mind. What else can he be if he’s not there to protect them? 

“Yakko,” Dot whispered, getting down to eye-level with him. “You protect us, I protect you and Wakko, Wakko protects me and you. We’re here to protect each other, but we’re also siblings. We don’t see you as Yakko The Bodyguard, we see you as Yakko, our clumsy older brother. That’s the Yakko we need… the one we love.” 

He nodded his head meaningfully, letting her words sink in. “I… I’m really messed up.” He jokes humorlessly. 

“So are we.” 

Then they met in another hug. Truth be told, this wasn’t about to be the answer to all his problems. He’ll probably be bombarded by new insecurities in his mind, that’s just how it works. He might actually have to pay attention to what Scratchy says and actually open up. The thought makes him shudder,  _ but… maybe that’ll make me a better brother?  _ No, his problems aren’t over, but this is a start. 

“Hey, Yakko?”

“Yeah?” 

“When  _ was _ the last time you slept through the night?”

“Um… two weeks ago?” 

“ _ WHAT!?” _

…

After a much needed (day long) nap, Yakko got to work. First he contacted the police department and gave them a piece of his mind of how him and his siblings were treated during their emergency. He’s not sure how far that went but getting it off his chest was nice. Next, he called Tea Woodbury and explained the situation with Plotz and what he told Yakko over the phone. That led to a very… awkward over-the-phone apology but he sort of loved the humiliation Plotz had to have been going through. He also told her about the 911 call in hopes that she would be able to do something about it, who knows. There was also a request put in for a security guard of their choosing to watch the tower at night for a few weeks. 

The following week, a day before their appointment, Yakko sat down and actually talked with Dr. Scratchansniff about what had happened. It was awkward and embarrassing but he had his sibling’s support the whole time, that made it all bearable. For now, he’s given some exercises to combat his anxiety and a few books on the topic at his request. He left feeling somewhat better, but he did warn the doctor that it wouldn’t be the end of their shenanigans. 

Now he’s watching his siblings play in an inflatable ball pit (his ball pit, actually) outside the tower. Its been a hot day, one of the hottest of the year and Wakko practically begged for this, how could he say no to that face!? Dot squeals as her brother hits powerful splashes her way but she doesn’t hesitate to retaliate.

It makes Yakko smile, this is all he really wants, for them to be safe. The thought doesn’t sit right, though. Dot’s words ring in his head,  _ We need you as our sibling. _ He huffs and thinks that he can get used to this. He can be Yakko, the clumsy older brother. 

“Make room for me, sibs!” He shouts and jumps in next to them. They scream in fake terror and start splashing him mercilessly before he can settle. It’s wonderful. 

Yeah, this is a damn good start. 

  
  



End file.
